World’s 10 Biggest Employers

We've put together a list of the world's 10 largest employers among publicly listed companies based on figures from Reuters, global stock indexes, company websites, annual reports and other publicly available information. We've used full-time employees, except in a few cases where the business depends largely on part-time workers. In such cases, we have clearly indicated that the number includes part-time workers.

The world's largest employers come from a variety of industries such as retail, telecom, energy and banking. We looked at how efficient these companies were with their labor. We calculated the companies' revenue per employee and profit per employee figures based on their 2010 annual earnings. Some of these organizations might surprise you, while others are famous for their size and global reach.

10. IBM
Employees: 426,750
Revenue per employee: $234,000
Profit per employee: $34,750

IBM is the world's third biggest technology company by market cap, behind Apple and Microsoft. It is also one of only two tech giants to make the list of the 10 biggest employers.

9. Compass Group
Employees: 428,000*
Revenue per employee: $53,000
Profit per employee: $2,500

Compass Group is the world's largest contract food service company with operations in over 50 countries. It serves 4 billion meals a year.

8. Agricultural Bank of China
Employees: 444,440
Revenue per employee: $85,470
Profit per employee: $33,500

Agricultural Bank of China, also known as AgBank, is the world's biggest bank by the number of customers, branches and employees.

7. Deutsche Post DHL
Employees: 467,000
Revenue per employee: $148,000
Profit per employee: $8,350

Deutsche Post DHL is Europe's largest mail and express delivery company and one of the world's biggest logistics firms.

6. Carrefour
Employees: 471,750
Revenue per employee: $256,000
Profit per employee: $3,920

France's Carrefour is Europe's largest retailer, and the world's second-largest retailer after Wal-Mart. Founded in 1958 by the Fournier and Defforey families in southeastern France, the company now has hypermarkets and supermarkets in 32 countries, with over 57 percent of its revenue coming from international operations.

5. Tesco
Employees: 492,700
Revenue per employee: $194,000
Profit per employee: $9,000

Tesco is the world's third biggest retailer behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour. The U.K. grocery giant, founded by Jack Cohen, opened its first supermarket in 1929, and now retails everything from books, clothing, and electronics to financial services.

4. PetroChina
Employees: 592,700
Revenue per employee: $390,000
Profit per employee: $37,250

PetroChina is China's largest oil and gas company with a market cap of $274.3 billion. It is also the world's second-most valuable energy firm after Exxon Mobil.

3. Hon Hai Precision Industry | Foxconn
Employees: 836,000
Revenue per employee: $117,700
Profit per employee: $3,000

Hon Hai Precision is the parent company of Foxconn Technology, the world's largest electronics manufacturer by revenue. Foxconn is also the largest exporter in the Greater China region.

2. McDonald's
Employees: 1.7 million*
Revenue per employee: $14,200
Profit per employee: $2,930

McDonald's is one of the world's most valuable brands and one of only three American companies to make the list of the 10 biggest employers.

1. Walmart
Employees: 2.1 million*
Revenue per employee: $199,500
Profit per employee: $7,100

Walmart is the world's largest retailer with over 9,600 stores in 28 countries.

Source: CNBC